I was sitting in an auto trying to come up with an excuse for reaching the court late. The driver chased the last blink of the green signal on the flooded roads near Khan Market while I chased five hundred-plus LinkedIn connections. My legs stopped pumping when I read a post that said, “Stray dog judgement to be reviewed today.” I rushed through the security checks, constantly checking the online display board; it was perhaps the only thing I had learnt so far. The court was only one item away as the pouring rain slightly darkened my coat. The downpour of protests had managed to summit the LinkedIn staircase of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately the court was filled to its brim, and I was shooed away.
Unable to get in, I started digging into the case and discovered that the tale of man’s best friend took a new turn when the six-lane Lutyens roads signed the arrest warrant of the stray dogs throughout the National Capital Region on the 11th of August 2025, stemming from Suo Moto cognizance. This arose as a response to some “very disturbing and alarming figures and facts” that ten percent of daily dog bite incidents reported nationwide took place in the national capital, making the NCR the epicentre of the stray dog menace. The court sent a clear message: “The idea behind co-existence is not the existence of one’s life at the cost of the other,” thereby putting away nearly eight lakh dogs behind bars for crimes most of them will not even commit in the foreseeable future. The court believed that dog bites have the propensity to lead to one of the most fatal diseases known to mankind, that is, rabies, and one had to thereafter undergo a very rigorous and timely process of taking multiple injections. Considering the nature of medical facilities available and awareness regarding the right medical procedure, a person may not get the necessary treatment promptly. In view of the safety of children, the elderly, the visually impaired, and the pedestrians, the Apex Court order issued directions to the concerned authorities across the National Capital Region to start picking up stray dogs and transfer them to shelters/ponds within eight weeks with no room for laxity.
Almost a decade ago, in the Animal Welfare Board judgement, the same court held, “Every species has an inherent right to live and shall be protected by law, subject to the exception provided out of necessity.” Therefore, a life of dignity and care is the undeniable right of all dogs, which is not possible when they suffer from hunger, are frequently run over by relentless traffic, and are forced to endure extreme weather. Delhi’s dogs already live a miserable life, given the daily tussle for mere survival; the initiative to move them to a place of safety and consistent care is an undeniably compassionate goal. Unfortunately, the judgement doesn’t have a grasp of the right number of stray dogs and the housing capacity of the infrastructure available at the municipal body’s disposal, a situation resulting from turning a blind eye to the key stakeholders. Banishing eight lakh territorial animals to shelters/ponds that do not even exist would certainly lead to widespread violence and disease unless a national reserve exclusively for stray dogs is set up. The court’s order, however well-intentioned, is precarious and tragically flawed.
The exile order received widespread criticism from animal rights activists and brought dog lovers to protest on the roads of the capital complex, reflecting the genuine compassion of some, unfortunately overshadowed by a vocal few who prioritise a public image of caring. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching part is the focus on fighting for the rights of their “companion Delhiites” while overlooking the misery of those from humble backgrounds, who cannot afford even a day’s meal, let alone the medical expenses of a dog bite incident. Often forgotten by their own government post-elections, their neighbours thwart even the handful of efforts that relieve their anguish. However, the only party that seems to profit politically from this quagmire is the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which has conveniently sided with the apex court, hailing its “need of the hour” decision. When in reality it was the callousness of the government that has led to this very crisis. It is daunting that two decades were not enough to implement a simple twenty-minute sterilisation procedure.
The original decision to not release dogs was stayed by a larger bench on the 22nd of August 2025, banning dog feeding in the open while entrusting the Municipal Corporation with creating designated feeding points in every locality. Ironically, if followed even with the MCD’s most ‘sincere efforts’, dogs released from captivity could simply die of starvation while waiting for the city to identify and create designated feeding points. On the contrary, the order to not release dogs with rabies or an aggressive nature, however insignificant, would contribute to the efforts of exterminating the endemic before it falls short to the transient human attention when a ‘more pressing topic’ takes centre stage.
While navigating through the deep waters of picking sides and having a short-lived opinion on significant issues, we’ve failed to acknowledge that dogs have also fallen prey to institutional mismanagement, putting them on an equal footing with all the other victims of the state. Though the court’s indulgence ramps up the pace at which the MCD functions, the deadlines remain absurd. This leaves Delhi trapped in a vicious cycle where the court issues unworkable orders, the municipal corporations fail to implement them, and the animals, along with the city’s most vulnerable citizens, are left to pay the price for a crisis that no one has the will or wisdom to solve.
-This article has been written by Harshil (2nd Year).
